Papers of the Namibia Support Committee

• Minutes and papers of policy-making bodies, 1981-1993
• Records relating to the Committee's London administration, including minutes, accounts, funding applications, correspondence, papers relating to staff and membership, press releases and reports, [1981-1993]
• Records of the Campaign Against Namibian Uranium Contracts (CANUC), including minutes, funding applications, correspondence, reports, papers relating to particular campaigns and events, and publications, [1977-1992]
• Campaign reports, minutes, publications, photographs, etc. relating to the SWAPO Women's Solidarity Campaign (SWSC), 1980-1991
• Campaign leaflets, correspondence, photographs, etc. relating to the Health Collective, 1977-1989
• Papers relating to the Release All Political Prisoners campaign, with lists of Namibian political prisoners, 1984-1986
• Reports, minutes, leaflets, etc. relating to the Trade Union Group, 1977-1991
• Papers relating to other campaigns and projects, 1980-1993
• Papers relating to national events organised by the Committee, 1980-1992
• Publications and related papers, 1979-1993
• Memoranda, correspondence, reports, minutes, posters, etc. produced by and relating to local Namibia Support Groups, 1986-1991
• Minutes, correspondence, etc. relating to inter-agency campaigns with Committee representation, 1988-1992
• Papers of other British and international organisations, 1977-1992
• Papers of other Namibian organisations, c1969-1993
• Photographs, [1967-1991]
• Merchandise and banners, 1970s-1990s

The Namibia Support Committee started in 1969 as the Friends of Namibia in order to support Namibian liberation movements and assist individual liberation activists. In 1971, when the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) had been recognised as the 'sole and authentic representative' of the Namibian people, it became a solidarity group to assist SWAPO. It was recognised by the UN Council for Namibia and was renamed the Namibia Support Committee. The Committee aimed to raise public awareness of the country's particular problems and was active in organising meetings, lobbying Parliament, etc, while in its solidarity function it arranged the transport of supplies to SWAPO's camps in Angola and Zambia. Much of its work was supervised by its sub-groups, including the Health Collective, Campaign Against Namibian Uranium Contracts and the SWAPO Women's Solidarity Campaign. Originally based in London, the Committee built itself into a national campaign from 1986 with a network of local Namibia Support Groups. It became a registered company in 1990 (the same year that Namibia gained its independence from South Africa) and was wound up in 1993. It has since been revived as a friendship society between Britain and Namibia under the titles Friends of Namibia Society and Friends of Namibia (Scotland).

Bodleian reader's ticket required.

Collection level description created by Paul Davidson, Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House.

A handlist is available in the library reading room.

No reproduction or publication of personal papers without permission. Contact the library in the first instance.

The Committee sent a quantity of the organisation's pre-1985 archival and printed material to the Estorff Reference Library (now part of the Namibian State Archives) in Windhoek, Namibia, in 1992. Some other material was lost, either to flood damage when it was housed in a basement at the SWAPO offices in Gillespie Road, or during two separate Committee office moves (the latter involving mostly routine administrative correspondence).

Material relating to the Committee's Centenary Conference 'Namibia 1884-1984', and reports of visits to Namibia by Committee members and others and of visits to Great Britain by Namibians invited by the Committee, [1981-1992] was donated by Randolph Vigne. Minutes, correspondence, publications and other papers concerning the Committee and related organisations was accumulated and donated by Jenny Morgan on 16th February 2001 (though this has not yet been catalogued).

Some pre-1985 archival and printed material relating to the Committee is housed at the Estorff Reference Library (part of the Namibian State Archives) in Windhoek, Namibia. The Estorff Reference Library also holds the papers of Randolph Vigne, 1969-1980s.